A new study out of Washington state shows that the risks of abdominal surgery increase with age, including the risk of death after surgery. The study found that for patients 65 years of age and older, the risk of dying in the 60 days following surgery is as high as 5 percent, or 1 in 20 patients.
The risk increases with age. For patients in their late 60s, there was a 2.5% risk of death in the two months following surgery, but that risk rose to 6% for patients in their 70s, 12.6 for patients in their 80's, and 16.7% for those in their 90s.
It makes perfect sense that someone in their 60s has a lower risk of death than someone 30 years older, but this study may be the first to put a hard number on how much higher the risk truly is.
So what use is this information? If you or a loved one is over 60 and considering an abdominal surgery, keep in mind that all surgeries have risks and your level of risk may be higher than you realize. If your surgery is not absolutely necessary, consider all the risks and benefits before going forward.
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